The Relationship between Physical Activity and Academic Achievement of University Students

Abstract

Physical education belongs to the compulsory courses at many universities around the world. While many studies focused on the benefits of physical activity among elementary school pupils or high school students, the literature has been more silent on its effects in higher education. In this paper, we aim to determine what is the relationship between physical activity and academic achievement of university students. The research is based on a sample of 159 students at Master degree level studying at the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Economics, Prague. The results suggest that aerobic exercise has a positive effect on study results, but only among female students. No effects of anaerobic exercise have been found. Study achievement is also negatively influenced by the students’ age. The results are in line with prior studies which, however, focused predominantly on pupils and high school students.

Keywords

• Physical activity
• academic achievement
• study performance
• universities
• Czech Republic